Is the PH Event Management Team SEA Games Ready?

In about two year’s time, the much-awaited 30th Southeast Asian Games will come to the Philippines. While the time seems long, the games require much more preparation than any corporate event. It will need to host almost 5,000 participants from 11 countries and prepare for maybe 700 thousand visitors. The remaining time may not seem enough to prepare the facilities however the head of the event management body said the Philippines, the host of the biennial event, will be ready on time.

The Challenges of Hosting an International Sports Event

Even the most successful event managers will find hosting an international sports event to be a challenge. Aside from the sheer scope of the project, they face other challenges including:

Budget Cut

Insufficient Sponsorship

Outdated Technology

Transportation Costs

Security

In the Philippines, the biggest threats are the security, traffic, and the facilities to host the event. The event will exert tremendous pressure on the infrastructure of the country and it will take strong political leadership, and not just event management experience to pull it off. Fortunately, the signs of success are there.

Event Management Chair Ensures SEA Games will be a Success

In a recent interview, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, who was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as chairman of the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC), assured the nation that the existing facilities are being maintained in excellent condition. The two other sports venues currently being built were also guaranteed to be finished before the games.

“We will make sure that no glitches would ruin our hosting of the Games,” Sports Interactive Network quoted the secretary in a statement. “This early, even our major projects like the New Clark City has September of next year as the target of completion. That’s a tall order, but it can be done.”

As part of the preparation to hold the biennial meet, the construction of modern sports facilities at New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac started in January. The venue will serve as host for the centerpiece athletics and swimming events.

The rest of the events are distributed in other venues including Metro Manila, Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga, and Subic Freeport Zone in Zambales. To further ensure that the SEA games will be a success, Cayetano also shed light on the plans on running test events on these venues before the country welcomes its SEA neighbors.